US Congressman. During the Civil War he served in support of the Union as a Private in Company E, 6th Regiment, Pennsylvania Reserves. After the war, he worked as a assistant assessor of internal revenue and studied law. He was admitted to the bar in Washington, D.C. in 1878 and employed in the United States Treasury from 1875 to 1879. In 1880 he engaged in mining in Idaho, was secretary of the Territory of Idaho and Acting Governor of Idaho, 1881 to 1882. He was elected as a Republican to the Forty-eighth Congress in 1883 and served until 1885. An unsuccessful candidate for reelection, he engaged in mining and business pursuits until his death. (bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith)